


If I'm Being Honest

by Kye_Kreole



Series: Kye_Kreole's Marvel Bingo Works [2]
Category: Spider-Man (Tom Holland Movies)
Genre: Confessions, F/M, Identity Reveal, Marvel Bingo 2019, post snap
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-07-01
Updated: 2019-07-01
Packaged: 2020-06-02 10:31:32
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,585
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19439644
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Kye_Kreole/pseuds/Kye_Kreole
Summary: Michelle watches some of her classmates get dusted.





	If I'm Being Honest

**Author's Note:**

> This is for my Marvel Bingo square "Friendly Neighborhood Spiderman"

****

**_Before_ **

Michelle remembers that day. She remembers sitting in chemistry going through the lab with Betty. She remembers answering a question on the worksheet when Betty suddenly screamed, making Michelle slip off her seat and drop to the linoleum floor. She stares up in shock as she watches Betty disintegrate into… dust.

“Betty!” she calls out, scrambling to her feet.

By the time she’s standing though, Betty’s gone.

“Oh my god!”

She whirls around to see Flash, two tables behind her, turn into dust as well. 

“What’s happening?” Tiffany Chase asks.

“Everyone, stay calm,” Miss Yung says. “We shouldn’t panic. Just remain in your seats and-”

Michelle gasps when she sees the teacher’s hand disintegrate, followed by her whole body. 

There’s a moment of shocked silence as the class stares at the small pile of dust that was once their chemistry teacher. Then the screams erupt. 

Michelle pulls out her phone and dials her mom, stepping to the windows to avoid the chaos that’s occurring around her.

“Come on,” she whispers covering her other ear, listening intently to the ringing.

“ _Michelle_ ,” her mom answers.

“Thank God,” Michelle says. 

“ _Are you okay? Has anyone…_ ”

“Yeah,” Michelle answers the unfinished question, swallowing down a sob. “I just saw Betty…”

“ _Oh God_ ,” her mom whispers. “ _I just watched… never mind. Call Becca. I’ll call your father._ ”

“Okay.” Michelle hangs up and quickly dials her sister who picks up after the second ring.

“ _Michelle!_ ” Becca shouts. “ _I was just about to call you. You’re okay? What about mom? Dad?_ ”

“Mom’s fine. She’s calling dad right now.”

One of the doors crashes open and Michelle’s head jerks up to notice the now empty room and Ned looking around and sighing when he sees her. 

“I’ll call you back, mom,” he says and rushes over to her.

“ _Are you okay?_ ” Becca asks again.

“Yeah I’m fine,” Michelle answers. “I think I’m gonna head home.”

“ _Okay. Be safe. Don’t go alone. Text me when you get there._ ”

“Will do. Love you.”

“ _Love you too, Meechee._ ”

Michelle sighs. Normally the nickname annoys her to no end, but now? It’s nice to hear it.

“How’s your family?” Ned asks.

“Mom and Becca are okay,” she answers, texting her mom about Becca. “Still waiting for dad. You?”

“Two siblings accounted for, one still waiting to hear, mom and nana good, don’t know about dad.”

Her phone buzzes with a text from her mom.

_Good. Dad’s okay too._

She sighs in relief. 

“Dad’s okay,” she whispers.

“Good,” Ned says. He wraps an arm around her. “We should probably go home.”

Michelle nods and walks over to grab her bag. They sneak out of the classroom to a mostly deserted hallway. They rush through the halls to grab Ned’s bag, almost getting trampled by a small mob of wailing freshmen.

They get to the English classroom and get Ned’s bag. Michelle looks around the room. Papers are strewn all over the place. A few piles of dust under desks. Abandoned backpacks, notebooks, and the odd cellphone lay near them. She feels bile rise up. She closes her eyes and takes a deep breath.

“Let’s get outta here,” Ned mumbles, slipping past her to the door.

“Yeah,” she says, following him.

The halls are eerily quiet as they head to the front door. Some lockers hung open, more papers lay strewn, and the occasional piles of dust are the only indications that people had been in the building. Their steps quicken with every pile they pass.

Michelle tries to stay calm. She knows she needs to get out of the building; fresh air, open space, maybe some authorities that can help in some way. Like S.H.I.E.L.D. Sure they’re not the most trustworthy but they at least have better resources to handle things like this.

Right?

They finally push through the front doors and rush down the stairs. Their classmates are rushing about trying to get into their cars or out of the lot or just off the campus joining the crowds of people rushing about screaming or in tears.

She hears Ned gasp and turns to see what he’s looking at.

There’s a helicopter careening through the air getting steadily closer to the school.

“We gotta go,” she says grabbing Ned’s arm and yanking him toward the subway entrance. 

She hears the copter’s blades get louder. A menacing _whump whump whump whump_ drowning out the screams of the crowd they’re racing through. Or with.

They reach the stairs and join the mass down into the underground. They reach the bottom when they hear the crash. Metal grinding against the asphalt. The ceiling rumbles and pebbles and dust rain down on the screaming people. 

Michelle huddles with Ned, keeping a firm grip on him. She looks down to avoid the falling debris and sees another pile of dust.

Her breath catches. How many?

They stay huddled until the crash has stopped and the station isn’t shaking. The screams die down and the platform is full of heavy breaths and hushed conversations that will no doubt get louder soon.

“Let’s go,” she says, pulling Ned back to the stairs. Once out they start weaving through the streets, passing sobbing women, shell shocked men, and wailing children. And so many piles of dust. 

“We should probably send out a group text,” Ned suggests, pulling his phone out. “Make sure everyone’s okay.”

“She’s gone, Ned,” Michelle says, voice flat. “I saw her and Flash…”

She refuses to look at him. It wouldn’t do him any good to think there’s a chance. There’s a moment of silence between them before he says anything.

“I should probably call Aunt May.”

She feels her breath catch. Peter. He’d been out sick the last couple days. Ned said he ate something bad on the field trip and left early. A weak cover story but they’d had worse so at least it was plausible.

“Probably a good idea,” she says.

They turn the corner to her street. Her house is just a building away. Ned’s is a few blocks away and Peter’s a few more past that. It would be easy to go check on him. To make sure he’s safe.

To make sure he’s alive. 

“Michelle!”

She turns to see her mom running down the steps to their building. They catch each other in a tight hug. She hears her mom crying into her shoulder and she can’t stop her own tears. Her mom’s safe. Her family is safe.

“I’ll text you later,” Ned says, passing them to get to his own building.

Michelle’s mom tugs her inside and sits her down on the couch, moving about the living room and kitchen, waiting for her dad to come home.

Michelle turns on the news. 

“ _...law enforcement is attempting to ascertain the cause of the sudden disappearance of hundreds of thousands of people. Emergency hotlines are going haywire and it would seem that many emergency authorities are also affected by the ‘dust-ification’ of the populace. Stay with us as we await any explanation from reliable sources._ ”

Michelle scoffs. Who would be a reliable source? The Avengers? They probably caused it somehow. The flying donut a couple days ago that Iron Man had gone after and now this? There has to be some sort of correlation.

Michelle looks down to her phone in her hand. She should call him, just to be sure he’s safe.

She takes a deep breath unlocks her phone finding Peter’s number and calling it. Her breathing gets more frantic with each ring. Her heart is racing and more tears are spilling by the time his voicemail message answers.

“ _Hey, it’s Peter Parker_ ,” his stupid adorable voice says. “ _Sorry I couldn’t answer right now, but leave me a message and I’ll get back to you as soon as I can_.”

She hears the beep and she struggles to say something.

“Hey, loser,” she whispers through her tears. “Call me back. Now.”

She hangs up and drops her phone, putting her face in her hands to hide her crying.

“Please be okay,” she whispers.

**_After_ **

Michelle walks into the school, arm-in-arm with Betty. She listens intently to the blond girl’s rapid-fire rant about the state of the newsroom since she’d…

They skirt around the specifics of it all, focusing on everything but that awful day.

They stop at their lockers pulling out their math books. 

As they walk into the classroom and sit down, there’s a lull in their conversation. Michelle looks at Betty and sees her staring blankly at her desk.

“You okay?” she asks, hesitantly placing her hand on the girl’s shoulder.

Betty’s gaze snaps up to her and she smiles sadly.

“Sort of,” she says. “It’s just been a weird week and a lot of foggy things before that.”

Michelle squeezes Betty’s shoulder and offers her a smile. 

“You can talk to me about anything,” she assures, “and I can put you in touch with some great therapists if you need it.”

Betty smiles and puts a hand on Michelle’s.

“Thanks, MJ,” she says.

They both take a deep breath and turn back to their books. More people file in slowly, taking their seats and chatting excitedly. Ned comes in and sits behind Betty, striking up a conversation about her new headband.

Michelle smiles as she listens, skimming the chapter on limits and graphing them. The bell rings and everyone settles down as Mr. Harrington starts class.

“Good morning everyone,” he greets, looking around the room and smiling at everyone. “I’m so happy to see all of your faces again. Before we begin I just want to make sure everyone knows about the after-school catch-up program we’ll be doing for all the… returning students-”

The door opens and everyone looks up to see the late-comer. Michelle’s breath catches as she sees the familiar wavy brown hair, fair skin, and surprisingly tight blue sweater. 

“Sorry I’m late, Mr. Harrington,” Peter says.

He offers the room a bright smile and his eyes roam over the desks, looking for an empty one. His gaze lands on Michelle and she can already tell the only open seat is the one behind her.

“You’re just fine, Peter,” Mr. Harrington says. “It’s good to have you back.”

“Good to be back,” he answers with a smile, then turns to stride to the empty desk.

Before he can though, Michelle stands up and steps into his path. There’s a small gasp from the room as they hold their breath, waiting to see what’s about to unfold. Michelle doesn’t really know what she’s doing. 

Peter stares at her with those big brown eyes that could make even a Hydra agent reconsider his life choices. His mouth hangs open a little and she watches as he licks his lips in anticipation.

“Hey, MJ,” he says, hesitant and hopeful. 

She reaches forward and grabs the straps on his backpack, pulling him into a bone-breaking hug. She feels him hesitate before he wraps his arms around her waist and she can’t help but sigh into his shoulder. She refuses to cry in front of everyone; she has a reputation after all. Besides, she’ll probably end up crying during decathlon practice later. No need to cry in front of people who don’t need it.

“It’s really great to see you again,” he whispers in her ear.

“Thanks for not being permanently dead, loser,” she whispers back, which makes him laugh.

They pull away and sit down, pointedly ignoring their classmates.

Michelle looks up and sees Mr. Harrington smiling with some tears falling from his eyes. She looks down at her book. If she watches him cry, she’ll start crying. Not gonna happen.

“Back to our announcements,” Mr. Harrington says, drawing the class’s attention away from Michelle and Peter. 

Michelle feels a light tap on her heel and she smiles. She slides her foot back to nudge him back and she can practically feel the shining smile that’s no doubt on his face. 

~

Michelle’s sitting on her roof, reading in the warm light of the sunset. Michelle Obama is a fantastic woman and her memoir is incredible.

She nearly drops her book when her phone rings, pulling her back to reality.

She pulls it out of her pocket and smiles at the picture of Peter saying he’s calling her. She answers it and puts it up to her ear.

“Hey, loser,” she greets.

“ _Are you ever gonna call me something else?_ ” he says. 

Michelle can hear rushing wind from his end and it perks up a part of her brain. She ignores it. Not the time.

“When I get a reason to call you something else, I’ll do it.”

“ _You could do it because I asked you_.”

“True,” she says, “but then I have to come up with something else and I’m just too lazy to do that right now.”

She hears him chuckle and she can’t stop her own smile. How is it possible that this little awkward white boy is the person she wants to date and hold hands with and maybe kiss? How could she be so basic?

“ _I’m sure someone with your extensive vocabulary can do it_ ,” he says.

And that right there. That makes her chest feel light and keeps the smile on her face. 

“I’ll think about it,” she finally replies. “So whatcha doin’?”

“ _Just walking around the neighborhood_ ,” he answers.

Walking, huh? Considering the wind sounds and the fact there’s not even a light breeze right now, “walking” is the laziest cover-up she’s ever heard from him. She mentally stops herself. Not her place, not the time.

“Well that sounds super fun,” she says, picking up her book and turning the page. 

“ _Yeah_ ,” he responds leading to relative silence.

She doesn’t interrupt it. He’s called for a reason, whether to just talk or to talk about something specific. Either way, he’ll keep it going.

“ _You know,_ ” he helpfully starts but stops after.

“I know a lot of things,” she says, trying to keep it light enough for him to keep talking. “If you want me to share my wisdom, you have to ask for it.”

Another laugh and another moment of silence.

“ _We haven’t really talked since… since I came back_.”

Ah. Serious talk. 

“That feels like a face-to-face conversation,” she says.

“ _Yeah, it kind of is_ ,” he says.

“So come over,” she says, trying for nonchalance.

“ _What?_ ” There are some grunts and a distinct sound of a car horn and Michelle can’t help but smile. For as much as Peter affects her, she affects him right back.

“Come over and we can talk,” she says. “You’re just walking around the neighborhood right?”

“ _Right, yeah. Just walking around._ ”

Another moment of silence before Michelle sighs.

“So you’re coming over right?”

“ _Oh yeah,_ ” he finally agrees. “ _I’ll be there in a few_.”

“See ya then,” she says then hangs up. 

She keeps reading, keeping her ears alert for any sound of web-slinging that would tell her he’s arrived. 

A _thwip_ and stretch and she hears his soft landing behind her. She smiles, not looking up from her book.

“Fancy meeting you here, Spidey.”

She can only imagine what he looks like; frozen in place, arms up in a semi-defensive position, his mouth open and eyes wide under his mask. He grunts a little finally catching up.

“Hello, citizen,” he greets, lowering his voice, though it’s useless against her.

She’d know his voice anywhere.

“Taking a break?” she asks, finally looking up.

He’s standing with his arms folded and his back stretched, trying to look taller. She can’t help but smirk at his ridiculous posture. 

“Just passing through on my rounds,” he answers. He takes a couple steps toward the edge that drops into the alley.

“Well I don't want to keep you from your job,” she says, turning back to her book. “Besides, I'm waiting for a friend to show up soon.”

“Oh?” he asks, pausing in his not-so-subtle walk to the edge. “Good friend?”

Michelle mentally roll her eyes. Only Peter would use this as an opportunity to ask her about him to his face. Well, it's also a chance to tease him

“Sure.” She turns a page. “If only he wasn't perpetually tardy and stupidly pretty, he'd be a best friend.”

He chokes and stutters on whatever reply he wants to say and Michelle mentally pats her back. Flustering him is one of her favorite games.

“Shouldn't you be finishing your rounds?” she asks, taking pity and giving him an out.

“Yeah,” he says quietly in his normal voice. Then he shakes his head and straighten up. “I mean yes. I've got a city full of people to protect. Have a good day, citizen.”

“Michelle,” she says as he turns around. He stops and she says, “My name's Michelle.”

He turns his head to look at her.

“Have a good day, Michelle,” he says, more sincere, then he steps up to the edge and jumps off, thwiping his web to the next building and swinging from view.

Michelle settles back into her book, trying not to listen for him changing down in the alley. He’s so lucky he’s cute and that New Yorkers just don’t care enough because his secret identity is constantly at risk.

She reads another page-and-a-half before she hears the roof door open. 

“MJ!” he calls.

“Over here,” she says, quickly finishing the page and sliding her bookmark in.

She looks up to watch him cross to her, now in jeans and one of his many blue sweaters. This one slightly worn down. His hair is tousled and she can’t help but think how adorable it looks.

He smiles at her and moves to sit next to her. 

“How are you?” he asks.

“Pretty good,” she says. “Been having a lazy day.”

“Which means you went through your decathlon notes twice and only finished one book already.”

She pushes his shoulder as he laughs and she can’t hide her own amused grin. 

“I only went through my notes once,” she says, “and I haven’t finished my book yet.”

“You’re slipping, Jones,” he says.

“And you’re clearly stalling,” she says, raising an eyebrow.

He ducks his head and looks down at his hands.

“Not beating around the bush, huh?”

“It sounded important,” she explains. 

“It is,” he says, fidgeting his fingers. He takes a deep breath and looks up. “It’s really important.”

She just stares at him waiting for him to say it.

He takes another deep breath. “It’s been rough since getting back. None of us really remember what happened when we… when we weren’t here.”

She takes his hand, silently offering support. He looks at their hands and smiles.

“Coming back, I realized that I’ve been holding myself back from doing a lot of things. I’ve been so scared about people getting hurt that I didn’t think about how not telling might hurt them. And how not telling might hurt me.”

Michelle’s eyes widen. Is this it? Is he finally going to tell her he’s Spiderman?

“Michelle,” he says, lifting his head and looking directly in her eyes. “I like you.”

Oh. 

Really? 

He does?

“I like you and I can’t lie to you,” he continues. 

Oh thank God.

“MJ,” he says. “I’m Spiderman.”

She releases the breath she didn’t realize she was holding. “Oh.”

He stares at her for a moment and squints a little before he sighs and drops his head.

“You already knew,” he mumbles.

“I knew about Spiderman,” she says, grabbing his chin and lifting his head. “I didn’t know about the… other thing.”

His eyes widen and just like that, he’s blushing.

“Oh.”

“Yeah,” she says.

They smile at each other then he gets a puzzled look on his face.

“Wait, so you knew it was me earlier?” he asks, gesturing to the edge he’d jumped off.

“Yeah,” she says, chuckling. “I couldn’t make it easy for you. You’re pretty easy to fluster.”

He nods slightly then his mouth twitches back to a smile. 

“You called me pretty.”

Now it’s her turn to blush and look down at her hands.

“I knew it would… you know… I just thought…”

He gently lifts her chin to look at him. He’s smiling that dopey smile that makes her trip up in decathlon practice.

“MJ?”

“Yeah, Peter?”

“You’re pretty too.”

“Oh just kiss me, loser.”

She grabs his sweater and pulls him in for a kiss. Michelle had refused to ever imagine what her first kiss would be like. Movies and TV always make first kisses out to be this grand amazing thing with fireworks and everything.

This isn’t that grand thing, but she has to admit, maybe the fireworks thing has some credibility.

They pull away from each other and look into each other’s eyes. His stupidly pretty brown eyes. Then he gets that dopey grin on his face again and she can’t help but grin back.

“We just did that,” he whispers excitedly.

“Yes we did,” she replies.

He hesitates a moment before asking, “Can we do it again?”

She barks out a laugh and shakes her head incredulously. Of all the people in the world to have a crush on.

“Yes, Spider-boy. We can.”

His mouth should be falling off from how big his smile is. He lifts his hands to cup her face and gently pulls her in for another kiss.

Of all the people in the world to have a crush on, she chose the dork who is Spiderman, Peter Parker.


End file.
